Best Bets

Posted: June 02, 2012

Family

Pedaling for good. It’s the first Sunday in June and time for the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship. This year, a new event has been added as a fund-raiser for local charities. The Bicycling Magazine Open, this Gran Fondo, or "Big Ride," will allow riders to pedal all or parts of the 14.7-mile circuit for up to three laps. The route begins on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, heads out Kelly Drive to Manayunk, climbs the infamous Manayunk Wall, winds through Fairmount Park, descends Lemon Hill and runs back past the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the finish line on the Parkway. Riders can be sponsored through Charity of Choice.

7 a.m. Sunday before the professional race, starting at the Parkway. Information is at www.procyclingtour.com.

Music

Dengue Fever and Omar Souleyman. The combination of the L.A.-based, Cambodian-inspired rock group Dengue Fever and Syrian folk-pop singer Omar Souleyman promises to be one of the most inspired double bills of the year. Dengue Fever began performing covers of ’60s Cambodian pop and psychedelic tunes in the early 2000s and started writing original material soon after, performing in Khmer and English. The band has since released four LPs, full of jangly rhythms and ethereal vocals, a blend of James Bond-esque escapades and Bollywood sentimentality. Souleyman was singing at weddings in the early 1990s before cassette tapes of his performances brought him global attention. With modified synth and drum machines, frenetic beats, and impassioned vocals, Souleyman melds the convivial folk songs of the Mideast with Western techno beats.  — Katherine Silkaitis

8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. Tickets: $15. Information: 215-232-2100 or utphilly.com.

Film

New this week: Snow White and the Huntsman (three out of four stars) Kristen Stewart is the Grimms’ heroine, but she’s borrowed Joan of Arc’s armor and Frodo’s and Odysseus’ story arcs, in this dark, surprisingly entertaining rethink of the fairy-tale classic. With Charlize Theron sinister and sexy as the queen, and Chris Hemsworth as the titular dude. PG-13 (violence, sorcery, adult themes)  — Steven Rea

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